The Angwan Rukuba Attack

No fewer than twenty-eight people, among them a pregnant woman, were reportedly killed on Sunday, March 29, 2026, while several others sustained varied degrees of injuries, after gunmen opened fire on an outdoor bar in Gari Ya Wuye Community of Agwan Rukuba, in Jos North local government area of Plateau State, north-central Nigeria.

This is according to Dalyop Mwantiri, President of the Berom Youth Moulders Association. The police also confirmed the same casualty figure. However, locals like Paul Mancha, chairperson of the youth council in Plateau state, suggested that the true number of casualties could be even higher. “People were here in the evening, and unfortunately, wicked terrorists came and attacked our people,’’ he told Reuters news agency. “We have counted scores of people who are now dead, and then so many others are also in the hospital receiving treatment.”

Sunday Akintola, a resident, speaking to HumAngle, said the high number of casualties was due to people being caught unaware, as residents initially assumed the gunshots were stray bullets from officers of the National Drug Enforcement Agency, which “usually come to harass young men in the area”.

Multiple sources, including Vanguard, Nigeria Info, and HumAngle, reported that the attackers, wielding guns and machetes, arrived on motorcycles and opened fire on the victims. They were also said to be dressed in military camouflage with their faces covered.

The deadly attack took place on a day Christians were observing Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, in the Lenten calendar of Christians.

This day, which marked the beginning of the holy week, further deepened the hurt among the Christian population in the area.

According to HumAngle, the community is just about ten minutes from the Jos Main Market and University of Jos, including the Senior Staff Quarters, Main Campus, and Permanent Site, as well as private housing for university staff and students. It also borders a large stretch of hills, including the popular Gog and Magog.

Official statements from the state government and security agencies say the incident was described as unprovoked, criminal, and part of the recurring violence in Plateau state, as against a reprisal.

Government Response

In the wake of the attack, the government, both at the state and federal levels, swung into action.

First, the state government deployed security forces to the area, with military men moving in to secure the area and also avert an escalation.

Secondly, the government declared a 48-hour curfew in Jos North Local Government Area, and said an investigation had been opened and those responsible for the killings would be brought to justice.

Thirdly, President Tinubu, after two days, issued a strong statement condemning the incident and directed security agencies to intensify efforts to pursue the perpetrators and those spreading misinformation that can inflame tensions and further endanger lives.

Shortly after the directive, security forces launched search operations for the killers, and days later, it was reported that between the 3rd and 10th of April, the Department of State Services (DSS) had arrested four individuals linked to the Angwan Rukuba attack.

The four individuals were named as Isa Umar Ibrahim, Auwalu Abubakar (also known as Auwalu Dogo), and Musa Abubakar Ibrahim (alias Yaroro). Another defendant, Adamu Alhassan, faces additional counts related to illegal possession of firearms and involvement in multiple killings across communities in Plateau.

Following the arrest, the Plateau State Government on Thursday, April 23rd, arraigned the four suspects who were brought before separate courts in Jos, where proceedings were conducted before Justices Danladi Longden and Gegeliah Fwomyon of Courts 9 and 12, respectively.

Plateau Violence: A Recurring Decimal

A white paper from the Plateau state fact-finding committee on attacks across the state reported that for the past two and a half decades, violence in the state has evolved from farmer-herder crisis to ethno-religious crisis, as well as attacks by armed men loyal to terror groups both in Nigeria and other countries. This multifaceted violence often leads to reprisal attacks that have further deepened insecurity across the state.

In September 2025, the committee, while presenting its report in Jos, the state capital, through the chairman Major General Rogers Nicholas (rtd.), disclosed that over 420 communities in Plateau State were attacked between 2001 and 2025, leading to the deaths of nearly 12,000 people and the displacement of thousands more.

Their findings, according to the report, listed several factors fueling the violence as follows:

Farmer-Herder Conflict: This fuels the violence in Plateau state as both parties compete for land, grazing routes, and water resources, which often overlap. In communities where they usually clash, farmers accuse herders of allowing their cattle to destroy crops, while herders, on their part, accuse farmers of blocking their paths and attacking their animals.

Ethno-Religious Tensions: These fuel violence in Plateau state because ethnic identity and religion are often closely linked to politics, land ownership, and community belonging. Disputes over land, political representation, traditional leadership, and access to resources are therefore often interpreted through religious and ethnic lenses. A local conflict can quickly be seen as an attack on an entire ethnic or religious community.

Criminal Attacks/Armed-Group Activity: These fuel violence because they increase insecurity, cause fear in local communities, and escalate local conflicts. Perpetrators attack with sophisticated weapons, take advantage of the farmer-herder crisis, and carry out surprise raids like the Angwan Rukuba attack.

After the Angwan Rukuba attack, several others have been reported.

Less than 24 hours after the incident, a similar attack was launched on herders around the same Izovo village where eight cattle were killed by unknown gunmen.

According to Ado Musa of Daily Trust, gunmen on Monday, April 7, ambushed herders in Tanjol, Jol Ward of Riyom local government area of Plateau state, killing one person in the area. He quoted Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, the state chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), as condemning the attack, which he described as brutal.

On the 13th of April, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) said gunmen attacked herders in Izovo community, Miango district of Bassa local government area of Plateau state, killing a herder and five cattle, and rustling 15 others.

Also, gunmen attacked herders on Sunday, the 24th of April, in Diyan village of Riyom District, in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing a herder and shooting 21 cattle.

These attacks have become a recurring decimal across the state as reports filter in almost every week of killings of farmers, herders, and animals.

Failing Security Measures and Community Impact

One thing that has never failed to happen whenever attacks occur in Plateau State is the deployment of troops to affected areas. We saw this much during the Angwan Rukuba attack. However, this has always been a follow-up action rather than preventive measures. The implication being that the damage has already been done before the arrival of security personnel, who will eventually depart the scene as soon as calm is restored.

Across the state, military units and heavy police formations are stationed at strategic locations. Also, successive governments have deployed troops, imposed curfews, and announced security measures to address the menace of insecurity, but communities still feel unsafe as some of these troops and military bases/checkpoints have been attacked.

In the case of the Angwan Rukuba attack, a police outpost was situated just at the junction where the attackers unleashed mayhem on helpless residents.

According to Human Rights Watch, “repeated attacks on communities in central Nigeria highlight the authorities’ failure to protect vulnerable populations and hold perpetrators accountable.”  A report cited by Open Doors described a similar attack as “a brutal reminder that security deployments alone are not enough to stop determined attackers.”

Experts in the security sector have identified several factors responsible for the failure of security deployments.

They include: Intelligence gaps, Delayed response times, difficult terrain, and Weak preventive systems.

These factors have left residents at the mercy of the attackers. As a result, affected communities live in constant fear of the unknown, as attackers usually strike at any given time. Life in these areas is difficult as families have been displaced, homes shattered, breadwinners murdered, and farmers too afraid to go to their farms. Hunger levels have risen with humanitarian organisations warning that repeated displacement is brewing a crisis as more families are forced into temporary shelters or move to urban areas for safety.

After the Angwan Rukuba attack, the University of Jos, according to reports,  had to shut down the campus for fear of being attacked. The implication on communities around the school is that small businesses like cyber cafés, mobile/roadside kitchens, among others, that depend on students to survive, had to shut down. This is one of the sad aftermaths of attacks like this one.

Pathway to Peace

For many observers, achieving peace in Plateau State has been a difficult task as a result of how far insecurity has lingered, and how government’s efforts to contain the menace have failed. They also point to the fact that as long as access to farm lands and water points remains among predominantly Christian farmers and Muslim herders, achieving peace will take a longer time.

However, security experts like Steven Okworie and Muhammad Ali believe that addressing the violence in the state would require a combination of efforts, such as:

Investments in Early Warning Systems, boosting initiatives that will strengthen peace in communities, addressing crises around land allocation and the control of resources, prosecution of those arrested for violence, as well as strengthening intelligence gathering at community levels.

All these will lead to faster response time, curtail reprisals, lead to better communication, and help boost security at the local level. Presently, a lack of these factors has been the major reason why the current security approach is not working.

Ultimately, restoring stability will depend on rebuilding trust between communities and between citizens and the state.